Alex Spillius is The Daily Telegraph's Washington Correspondent.

There will be more Scott Browns

In a perfect political storm, Scott Brown became the first Republican to win a Massachusetts senate seat since 1972. The result is one of the biggest post-war shocks and given the fact the Democrats lost their supermajority, probably the most momentous.

The national conditions – though Washington underestimated their power – were in his favour. Independent voters already scared of rising debt were prompted to desert the Democrats by the prospect of potentially expensive national health care reform. Just 15 months ago the same voters in Massachusetts had delivered a 26 point victory to Mr Obama.

On health care Brown was aided by the fact that Massachusetts had its own near universal health care plan and didn’t want to help pay for the rest of the country to have one.

He rode the wave of resentment adeptly. Always ready with a firm handshake and a beaming smile, he worked hard and delivered a simple message of no new taxes and bringing commonsense back to Washington.

His opponent by contrast Martha Coakley steered her campaign on to the rocks. The state’s attorney general and easy winner of the Democratic primary, she began with an air of self-entitlement and inexplicably chose not to campaign in Christmas week.

Having started late, she went negative with her early ads, which turned off an electorate tired of old politics. Her attempts to portray Brown as a Bushite fell flat and she never connected effectively with voters. With an effective candidate, the Democrats might have won.

Already in Massachusetts there are inexperienced, independent Right-wingers ready to challenge Democratic incumbents in November’s midterms. They might not be as easy on the eye or the ear, but there will be more Scott Browns.